I Am Horde
by Intimidator1323
Summary: Betrayed by almost all of the people he once vowed to protect, Naruto is forced to flee Konoha. On the run, Naruto accidently makes an incredible discovery. Years later, an unstoppable force emerges from the earth itself. "I am Horde, for we are many."
1. Prologue: The Fall

I Am Horde

By Intimidator1323

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Gears of War

**Just a random idea I came up with, hope you all like it.**

Prologue: The Fall

Naruto Uzumaki was having a bad day.

Normally this wasn't a problem for the blonde Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, pretty much every day since he was born was a bad day.

Today was different, though.

Today was, undoubtedly, the worst day of Naruto Uzumaki's life.

Why? The simple fact that nearly everyone he knew and loved stabbed him in the back.

And for what?

Doing his job?

Completing his mission?

Fulfilling his duty?

It seems an explanation is in order.

You see Naruto Uzumaki was once a Konoha Shinobi who only wanted the acknowledgement of every one in his village, who hated him because he contained the Kyuubi no Kitsune, the massive nine tailed fox that nearly annihilated Konohagakure twelve years ago.

Being the container of the monster that nearly destroyed the village and killed so many people was all the excuse the villagers needed to see him as the beast incarnate and to make Naruto's life a living hell.

Naruto has been beaten, starved, stabbed, burned alive, drowned, and, once, even buried alive almost as long as he could walk.

But he survived all of those attempts on his life. Not just because of the Kyuubi giving him advanced healing abilities, but because he is a survivor.

Always has been and always had to be.

But even he wasn't sure if he could survive this; having his hopes and dreams crushed in front of him.

All he ever wanted was to be accepted. He just wanted everyone to acknowledge him as a person instead of a monster.

Was that too much to ask?

His goofy attitude and his knack for pranks were a result of this desire. He even dared to dream of being Hokage, the leader of Konoha, just to gain acceptance.

All that dream did was make him a laughing stock.

He was able to take it though; none of it could break him.

After three attempts, Naruto finally graduated from the Shinobi Academy and became a fully fledged ninja. He had terrible teammates and an even worse sensei, but he had friends, and he was a very accomplished shinobi in his own way.

Life was good…until one of his teammates screwed it up.

His teammate, Sasuke Uchiha, had deserted Konoha to join up with one of it's most hated enemies, Orochimaru, in order to gain the power he needed to kill his older brother and avenge his clan.

Naruto had considered Sasuke to be one of his best friends, which made the whole situation worse when his "friend" tried to kill him.

It was the hardest fight of Naruto's life, but he won and dragged his teammate's unconscious form back to Konoha, hoping to be seen as a hero for rescuing Sasuke from Orochimaru's greedy grasp.

That didn't happen.

What _did_ happen, however, was him getting beaten into unconsciousness by a mob of civilians for harming "Uchiha-sama" and waking up in a prison cell the next day with the shinobi guarding his cell claiming he was going to be put on trial for the attempted murder of Sasuke Uchiha.

Naruto tried to explain it was all in self-defense, but it fell on deaf ears, everyone had already decided he was guilty, even his "friends".

Oh yes, the people he cared for most had turned their backs against him.

Those who he called friends and family and those who he had sworn he would give his life.

It seemed he would soon follow through with that promise…against his will.

All of the betrayals had hurt him deeply, but there were four people at the forefront of his mind that hurt the most.

Kakashi Hatake, his sensei, whom he had admired a respected, told Naruto that he hated him and blamed him for the death of his sensei, the Yondaime Hokage, and told him he was worse than trash for attacking one of his comrades.

Sakura Haruno, his teammate, his crush, the girl he would give life itself for, had beat him relentlessly and screamed at him for hurting Sasuke, her "true love". Naruto had tried to explain that it wasn't his fault, that he had no choice, that Sasuke had tried to kill him, but she refused to believe that he wasn't at fault, told him she would never love a monster like him, and told him she wished Sasuke _had_ killed him.

Jiraiya, the Toad Sage, and Tsunade, the Godaime Hokage. He thought the world of them, despite their quirks, and thought of them as surrogate parents. But they hurt him the most. They revealed the truth about his parents. His mother was Kushina Uzumaki and his father was Minato Namikaze, the Yondaime Hokage, the man who cursed him with the Kyuubi!

They also revealed that the Sandaime Hokage, who he saw as a grandfather, allowed his abuse as a child and arrived to save him from each attack in order to make him loyal to Konoha.

Finally, they told him that they were his godparents and had abandoned him to the mercy of the villagers.

Each betrayal felt like it would kill him, but he endured, his survival instinct and his newborn hatred of his "friends" kept him focused.

He knew he had to leave the village. He didn't know what his sentence would be but he knew he had to escape before judgment was passed.

Naruto had been locked into his home and was kept under house arrest for the next two weeks, with a squad of Anbu guarding his home and watching his every move, for any sign of attempted escape.

This would not stop him.

He had outwitted these so-called "Elite Shinobi" countless times as a child; he had little trouble escaping from them this time.

He left a Shadow Clone in his apartment to fool the guards and henged into a bird and flew towards the Hokage Tower and overheard what Tsunade had planned for him: they were going to wipe his mind and reprogram him to be mindless weapon that lived only to serve Konoha!

And so he ran; and that is where we find him now, running for his life.

As he ran, he could not help but think about the few who had stuck by him in the end.

Iruka Umino; his teacher and the closest thing he ever had to a father. Iruka's parents were killed during the Kyuubi attack, but, despite having every reason to do so, did not blame Naruto for their deaths and had watched out for the blonde. He once nearly died saving him from a former academy instructor named Mizuki.

Teuchi and Ayame Ichiraku; the father-daughter pair that owned his favorite place to eat, Ichiraku Ramen. As a child, Naruto had to steal food or fish leftovers out of trashcans in order to survive, because the villagers were more than happy to let him starve to death. The Ichiraku's changed that and Naruto was able to eat without stealing or fearing he was going to throw up whatever random moldy "food" he would find in dumpsters after he ate it. They called him their best customer and allowed him to eat at a severely reduced price, sometimes even for free.

The Konohamaru Corps.; Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon. Konohamaru was the Sandaime Hokage's grandson and admired Naruto and declared himself his rival for the title of Hokage, a dream they once shared. Konohamaru's friends, Moegi and Udon, his admiration of Naruto. The three of them even took to wearing goggles like those Naruto once wore before becoming a genin. He saw the trio as younger siblings and enjoyed playing ninja with them when he could.

Each of them tried to visit Naruto during his house arrest but were denied entry every single time.

God forbid anyone cared about his desire to see them.

Before Naruto escaped the village, one last person would reveal that they were on his side and cared about him.

Hinata Hyuuga.

This surprised the hell out of him.

They had attended the academy together, but rarely spoke to one another before the Chuunin exam finals. He had always thought of her as a nice but shy and weird girl that blushed a lot and stuttered and fainted around him because she was afraid of him.

In reality it was quite the opposite; she loved him!

She had seen him escaping and went to say goodbye. She surprised him by speaking to him without stuttering or fainting.

She did blush a bit, though.

When she revealed her love for him, Naruto was shocked out of his mind. She loved him? How? Why?

She was the heiress of one of the most influential clans in Fire Country and he was an orphaned pariah.

It made no sense!

When Naruto asked her why, Hinata explained that he had been her inspiration and made her feel like she wasn't as weak and useless her can claimed her to be.

As if Naruto wasn't already surprised, Hinata took things further and kissed him passionately. She told him she didn't want him to leave but knew he had to and told him she would always love him.

Coming to the realization that someone actually loved him caused Naruto to burst into tears. He embraced Hinata and thanked her profusely for letting him know.

He needed to leave soon and told Hinata he would do everything in his power to return to her and asked her if she wanted to go out on a date with him when he did.

Hinata blushed deeply and said that she would love to.

And with that, he was off.

As Naruto ran through the vast forest outside of Konoha, leaping from tree to tree, he vowed he would one day return to his precious people.

He also vowed to make Konoha suffer for this betrayal.

Suddenly Naruto's enhanced senses alerted him to their presence; Konoha Shinobi, four of them, they were chasing him and they were gaining.

Fast.

'Shit', he swore mentally, 'I thought I had more time.'

He had been trying to cross Fire Countries borders, where Konoha had no jurisdiction, but it looked like they would catch him before he did.

Naruto then heard something behind him and barely dodged a volley of kunai and shuriken thrown at him.

"The Kyuubi belongs to Konoha!", he heard one of his pursuers shout, "You didn't think we'd let you leave did you?!"

More weapons were thrown at him and, soon, jutsu began to join the volleys, each barely missing him. He needed to find cover fast.

Then he saw it; a cave built into a rock formation straight ahead of him.

'Almost there', he thought, as he felt a kunai graze his left cheek, 'come on!'

He then dove into the cave just before a volley found it's mark.

'YES!' Naruto internally cheered as he landed.

His celebration turned out to be premature, however.

Just as Naruto dove inside the cave, one of the Konoha Shinobi pulled out a kunai with an explosive tag.

"Let's see you dodge **this**!" he shouted as he threw the kunai.

Naruto heard the shout and saw the kunai land not far from him, fuse lit.

"Oh shit!" he swore as he scrambled to his feet and ran further into the cave.

A full second later, the explosive tag detonated.

The blast sent Naruto flying forward.

Then things got worse: the cave started to shake and rubble began to fall from the sealing.

Outside the cave the squad chasing Naruto saw the entire cave collapse on itself, burying (what they thought was) the Kyuubi in a ton of solid stone.

"We were supposed to bring him in _alive_!" one of the ninja said to his squadmate after the dust had settled.

"No, we were supposed bring him back _or_ otherwise ensure that he wouldn't defect to another village" the shinobi who threw the explosive explained before gesturing at the collapsed cave, "Mission accomplished, he's dead!"

"Shouldn't we search the rubble and make sure?" another asked.

"You wanna dig through that? Be my guest. I'm going with my assumption: no one could have survived that, and if he did, his bones would be dust and he'd suffocate to death soon enough."

The others agreed with this logic.

"Come on, let's go, we can be back home by tomorrow if we hurry!"

And with that, they left; not realizing what they had set into motion.

**Inside the Cave during the Collapse:**

Naruto Uzumaki landed on his front, knocked over by the force of the blast.

He felt the cave shake and tried to get up. He heard a loud groan and looked up just in time to see the ceiling start to fall.

'No! It can't end like this!' he shouted to himself; he couldn't die now! Not before fulfilling his promise!

It turned out he wouldn't.

Suddenly he felt the cave floor start to crack.

"Oh Shiiiit!" he shouted just before the ground collapsed underneath him just before the ceiling came crashing down.

Naruto found himself sliding down a spiraling tunnel screaming the whole way.

After several minutes, slide ended and he hit solid ground rolling a bit before stopping.

Groaning in pain, Naruto rolled over on his back.

'Could this day get any worse?' he asked himself.

He suddenly saw several figures looking down on him from all sides.

They were pointing strange contraptions at him. Naruto wasn't the smartest guy around, but even he knew that these were weapons of some kind.

It was too dark to make out their faces, but if the dark yellow, predatory eyes he saw and the growls he was hearing were any indication, they clearly weren't human.

Naruto then found himself being lifted up by his throat and brought to eye level with one of these…things.

Naruto tried to pry the hand off but he was too tired and it was too strong.

And it felt…scaly?

The arms owner brought Naruto face to face with it's, well, face.

The creature opened it's mouth, revealing it's razor sharp teeth…and spoke!

"**Groundwalker**", it said in a deep and menacing tone.

'I guess so' Naruto thought, not expecting his mental, not to mention rhetorical, question to be answered.

**It has begun. **

**Hi everyone! Intimidator1323 here to say: I'M BACK!**

**I know it's a new story, but I'm lacking inspiration for the previous two. Don't get wrong, There has been progress, but I couldn't wait to get the story out of my head! I had to wait until Gears of War: Judgment before I could start this story.**

**I'll explain why later.**

**Anyway, I will update this story as soon as I can.**

**And who knows? Maybe inspiration will come to me for my other stories as well.**

**Also, sorry the prologue is so short and not well detailed, I wanted to get this out of the way and get the story started.**

**Hopefully it'll do.**

**Until next time, read and review…or I'll find you.**


	2. Chapter 1: The Coming Storm

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Gears of War

**Alright, let's get straight to it.**

Chapter 1: The Coming Storm

**Ten Years Later:**

The world is on the brink of war.

It has been twenty-two years since the end of the Third Shinobi World War and the Kyuubi no Kitsune's attack on Konoha.

Twenty-two years of peace.

But, ten years ago, a single action has set the world on an imminent march to yet another shinobi world war.

What caused this, you may ask?

The disappearance/death of one Naruto Uzumaki.

He had been declared dead but, despite the fact that no one have possibly survived that cave in, no body was ever recovered, leading many to believe that he was still alive.

Alive or dead, it didn't matter. The repercussions have reached further than anyone could have predicted.

Konoha was the first to be affected. After the blonde jinchuriki was officially declared by the Godaime Hokage, Tsunade Senju, most of the village had celebrated almost non-stop for finally being free from the threat of the Kyuubi.

This celebration was to be short lived.

While he had few friends left in Konoha, he had plenty of friends outside of it's walls.

Powerful friends.

The Fire Daimyo, ruler of Fire Country, where Konoha was located, had been given the official reasons for Naruto's arrest.

Attacking a fellow leaf shinobi with the intent to kill, treason, and, after escaping the village, desertion.

The Fire Daimyo was satisfied with these reasons.

Naruto's allies outside Fire Country were not.

Wave Country and Spring Country had been outraged by these accusations, claiming Naruto Uzumaki was a loyal friend and a hero.

The Fire Daimyo was confused; he had received reports from Konoha about the actions of Team 7 in these countries that stated that Naruto had contributed the least towards the completion of these missions, that he had slowed his team down and nearly got them killed several times while the rest of the team had to pick up the slack. Sasuke Uchiha, in particular, had been credited with defeating Haku in Wave and saving Spring's new daimyo, Koyuki Kazehana, from her treacherous uncle.

When the Fire Daimyo had explained this to representatives from each nation, only to have their outrage increase ten-fold.

The daimyo's of both countries provided irrefutable proof that Naruto had, in fact, been the one who did the most work had had brought about the freedom of both countries.

The Fire Daimyo had demanded an explanation from Tsunade and the village council, but there was nothing they could say that would undo the damage that had been done.

Both countries revoked their alliances with Fire Country and sent missions to other villages.

This had been a devastating blow for the people of Fire Country.

Wave had been Fire Countries primary trade partner and brought the most of its goods to the village even before Wave had been liberated from Gato; while Spring had delivered weapons and armor. They had even considered giving Fire Country the secrets to their advanced technology (kunai launchers, chakra armor, locomotives, and airships) as a way to thank them for returning their daimyo and saving them from tyranny.

Sadly, Konoha's betrayal had destroyed any chance of this.

Coupled with this was Sunagakure turning their backs on Konoha.

Suna had long been Konoha's chief ally for many years an alliance made stronger after they were fooled into attacking them with Otogakure over ten years ago after it's leader, Orochimaru, had killed their previous kage and impersonated him.

The newly elected Kazekage, Gaara of The Desert, had been a close friend of Naruto Uzumaki and Konoha's actions had caused him to sever Suna's alliance with the treacherous village.

When these nations cut ties with Konoha, it created a noose around the village's neck.

Konohagakure had lost their biggest trade partner with Wave, any hope of advanced technology from Spring, and military support from Suna.

Other villages allied with Wave, Spring, and Sunagakure had also refused to do business with Konoha for fear of losing their allies.

The Hokage and Fire Daimyo had pleaded with their former allies to reconsider, but the damage had been done.

Konohagakure and the rest of Fire Country was on their own, clinging to what little power they had left.

Even after helping to rescue Gaara from the Akatsuki three years later, Suna still refused to reopen negotiations with Konoha.

With its economy tanked, Konoha had entered a depression worse than any other in the history of the Elemental Nations.

The village was weaker than it had ever been and this made it a target.

Iwagakure had long held a deep hatred for Konoha since the Third Shinobi World War, especially after the Yondaime Hokage single handedly slaughter hundreds of Iwa Shinobi using his famed Hiraishin.

Since the end of the war Iwa had longed to avenge the deaths of their comrades and had been looking for a way to undermine Konoha.

It seemed they no longer needed to.

Iwagakure had also found an unexpected ally in the form of Kumogakure.

Kumo and Konoha had been at each other's throats for years. This escalated when Kumo's ambassador, on orders from the Raikage, tried to abduct a young Hinata Hyuuga in order to aquire the Byakugan, the legendary dojutsu bloodline of the Hyuuga clan. The attempt failed and the ambassador was killed. Kumo demanded the Hyuuga Clan head, Hinata's father, Hiashi Hyuuga be turned over for execution or else risk another war. Konoha appeared to agree, only to hand over Hiashi's twin, Hizashi, instead who had been branded with the Caged Bird Seal. This seal prevented Kumo from acquiring the Byakugan. Kumo learned of the deception too late and had been fuming ever since.

Iwa and Kumo had always been the most militarized of the hidden villages and, as such, had kept close tabs on each other, waiting for when one side would attack the other.

An alliance between the two seemed impossible, but both villages had agreed to have talks.

Konoha suspected an influence of another kind was behind this.

Orochimaru.

The snake sannin had long sought the destruction of the leaf village but knew his village of Oto would not be enough. Sending spies to infiltrate the two kages in circles to whisper words of conquest into their ears was something he was more than capable of doing. When the war ended he would be waiting to seize power.

It didn't matter what caused this unexpected change. Konoha and Fire Country had no allies and no support. They knew they couldn't survive a war against both villages. They outnumbered and outgunned, not to mention both villages had two jinchuriki each while they had foolishly thrown theirs away.

Konoha had sent spies to sabotage the peace talks and had been successful so far.

But how long would that last?

War would come eventually no matter how hard they tried to stop it.

The Elemental Nations were caught up in their own affairs, not realizing another power was plotting their downfall.

A force that the hidden villages, Orochimaru, and even the Akatsuki could not even begin to comprehend.

War was coming, but not the war they imagined.

**Unknown Location:**

A lone figure sat upon a throne tapping its fingers of one hand on one of the armrests, the dim torchlight not being enough to reveal its face.

Word had just come from the informants and spies planted across the Elemental Nations.

The time was finally right to strike.

Concentrating, the figure reached out with its power and found what it was looking for.

In a burst of dark energy (1), a transparent figure appeared before it. A projection to call on its allies no matter where they were.

The figure that appeared was a giant to say the least. It wore ornate heavy armor that covered most of its body. Its face was locked in a permanent scowl with razor sharp teeth visible through it. The projection was dark in color but, if it had been in person, the giant's scaly, chalk-white skin would be visible.

The projection kneeled before the figure on the throne.

"**Your majesty**" it said in a deep, rasping voice.

"General" the figure on the throne greeted before continuing, "Is everything ready?" it asked.

"**Yes your highness, my warriors and I await your command**" the general answered.

"Then begin the operation" the being on the throne commanded, "Once you have succeeded in your task, contact me for further orders."

The general nodded, "**As you command.**"

The projection then disappeared.

The figure on the throne contemplated the chain of events that would transpire after the general had succeeded in this part of the grand plan.

Blood would be spilled into the water, the sharks would seek out the blood, and would leave their territories unprotected.

The figure allowed a sinister grin to appear on its face at this thought, showing it's sharpened canines.

It truly is good to be the king.

**And that's the end of that chapter.**

**Sorry it's so short. The next one will be much longer, I promise.**

**I know Konoha being weakened by Naruto's departure has been used countless times before in more creative ways than this, but I needed to explain what had happened during the timeskip, how the villages were at each other's throats, unaware of the true threat lurking in the shadows.**

**It should suffice.**

**Read and review because, in the next chapter, the first step towards Emergence begins!**


	3. Chapter 2: Blood in the Water

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Gears of War.

**Before we begin it's time to answer some reviews:**

**Jgreek: All Kages will be canon I assure you.**

**Kingdark: I think I'm going to put up a kind of Codex (like in the Mass Effect series) that explains the Gears of War parts of the story…with my own little tweaks here and there.**

**VFSNAKE: I can't believe you're reading my story! I've loved you're Naruto and Naruto Crossover stories since I first read your Naruto/AVP crossover! You're the reason I started doing revenge fics! Thanks for the review, keep on writing!**

**Peter Kim: Exactly.**

**Marcus: First off, thank you for your review and encouragement. Secondly, what do you mean you've "been waiting for someone to finally do this?" Are there other people who came up with this idea?**

**Random guy: I can't bring myself to have Naruto be like Myrrah…but, to answer your question without to many spoilers, the world will learn to live with this new species or be destroyed. As for the concubines…I'll consider it, thank you for the suggestion.**

**One last thing: I forgot to mention this, but when the projections appear it's the same way Organization XIII members warp in Kingdom Hearts 2 (I do not own Kingdom Hearts either).**

**Now that that's out of the way; it's finally time for some action!**

Chapter 2: Blood in the Water

**The **_**Purity**_**, several miles off the coast of Water Country, evening:**

The _Purity _was truly an intimidating sight, a fact that was unsurprising considering it was the flagship of Kirigakure's navy. It was 52ft in width and 107ft in length, with three masts protruding from it's deck. The ship was currently anchored but, when in motion, a total of 37 sails would fly. Its most intimidating factor, however, was its weapons; a total of 104 cannons lined the sides of the ship with two retractable triple barreled rotating cannons at its front; a surprise for enemies straight ahead of it.

It was crewed by the best shinobi and sailors in Water Country.

Truly, a more vicious and intimidating vessel there never was…and its captain equally so.

His true name is unknown to all but the Mizukage and the man himself, but his ruthlessness in battle and tactical prowess earned him the title: Demon of The Seas.

The Demon is 6ft tall, with short, dark brown hair. He has one dark brown eye and one pale eye, that eye having been blinded during battle with the scar running down his face to prove it. Both eyes are filled with malice. He wears a long, black trench coat with the symbol of Kiri sewn into left breast, while wearing his Kiri headband on his right bicep. He also had a katana strapped to his side.

The man has never lost a battle, is completely devoted to the Mizukage, and is feared by enemies and allies alike.

The _Purity _was not alone, however; twenty-nine other ships, mostly of similar design but smaller, were anchored nearby.

The Yondaime Mizukage, Yagura, knew war was brewing within the other nations knew Kiri's current civil war would make his village a target. Yagura had sent the Demon of The Seas, the _Purity_, and a massive fleet (all under the Demon's command) to protect its borders for a possible attack by sea.

They had been out at sea for two months and it would be another month before the _Purity _had to return to Kiri in order to restock their supplies.

Thus far, they had encountered nothing, not even the ever present pirates that plagued these waters frequently.

Currently at his desk in the captain's quarters, the Demon was getting impatient…but he would never show it. He knew his orders and would follow them until he was told otherwise.

His devotion to the Yondaime was beyond question.

As he wrote in his log, a knock came at his door.

"Enter" the Demon commanded, irritated by the disturbance.

A member of the crew, chunin in rank, entered.

"Captain" he saluted before continuing, "I think we have something."

The Demon widened his eyes slightly before standing up and walking towards the exit.

"Show me" he ordered.

The chunin complied and led his captain out onto the deck. The sun was setting but the fog was too thick to see it.

The crew saluted the Demon as he walked past them and made his way to the prow.

He paid no attention to them.

"We caught sight of it just moments ago" the chunin informed him, before handing him a portable telescope and pointing in the direction of the sighting.

The Demon looked through the telescope and saw a small shape moving through the fog. He could not make out what it was.

"Is it a vessel from one of the other Great Nations?" he asked still looking through the scope.

"We don't think so captain" the chunin informed him, "it appears to be too small."

"Pirates then?"

"Possibly, captain."

The Demon looked through the telescope as the shape moved straight towards them.

After a few moments, the shape broke through the thickest fog and was revealed, though it was still quite a distance away.

It appeared to be a barge of some kind, completely made of metal and shaped to cut through water like a blade. It also had a strange emplacement on its bow.

'A Kunai Launcher, perhaps?' the Demon pondered to himself. Technology like that was nearly impossible to come by outside of Spring Country.

Despite this; what stuck out most, however, was its method of propulsion and its crew.

The barge had no sails and had no visible motor. What it **did** have, however, was two large, demonic, fishlike creatures (one on each side) pulling the barge forward at an incredibly fast speed.

The crew was even more shocking.

They looked to be human at first but as the barge got closer, they were revealed to be anything but.

They appeared to have a scaly hide covered with chalk-white skin. They were clad in somewhat bulky yet intimidating armor with a symbol he did not recognize on its chest. He could make out their bestial, snarling faces and razor sharp teeth. Most also appeared to wear eyewear of some kind.

There were at least fifteen them on the barge.

"Those aren't pirates" the Demon said out loud.

"Captain?" the chunin inquired.

The Demon continued to gaze through the telescope. Whatever these…things were, there only a handful of them on one barge speeding towards a sizable fleet.

'They must be suicidal' he thought to himself.

He was about to signal his men to fire the frontal cannons and destroy these monsters when something caught his eye.

Something that made his eyes widen greatly.

Behind the barge, two more appeared behind it, following.

Then two more…then three…then five…then ten!

After a few more moments, a vast armada of barges were speeding towards them, several dozen at least, each holding between ten and twenty creatures.

**On the lead Barge:**

The barge was speeding towards the fleet before it.

The driver looked towards one of his passengers and nods to him.

The Drone nodded back, raised his weapon and peered through the scope.

He lined up a shot…and fired.

**Aboard the **_**Purity**_**:**

The Demon heard a loud bang and saw the chunin next to him fall onto his back, a large hole between his eyes.

"We're under attack" he said quietly, in shock at the sudden invisible force that killed the man next to him, before shouting, "To quarters men! We're under attack! Signal the rest of the fleet! Bring the ship to the starboard side and load all cannons!" he ordered, knowing the frontal cannons would not be able to sink as many barges as the broadside cannons.

The crew rushed to their stations as quickly as they could and began loading cannons as the _Purity _began to turn its right side towards the incoming armada. The crew began loading the cannons with the rest of the fleet doing the same.

When the crew signaled they were ready, their captain gave the order.

"FIRE!" the Demon commanded.

With that the cannons on all ships began firing, a symphony of an endless number of bangs and the smell of gunpowder filling the air as the explosive shells sailed towards their targets.

Many of the cannonballs hit their targets, blowing them (and their crews) out of the water, but there many more to replace them, most weaving out of the way of the shots.

The Demon watched as the armada grew closer. Once they got close enough, it would be almost impossible to hit them with their cannons; they would be too inaccurate and could risk damaging the other ships of his fleet.

The cannons kept firing but there were too many.

"Keep up the pressure! Don't them get close to us! We-!"

Before the Demon could finish his next sentence, he heard a disturbance coming from another vessel, the sounds of panicked and frightened yells, splashing, and something solid hitting wood.

He turned and widened his eyes further.

One of the other ships was under attack but not from the barges.

A massive tentacle was rising out of the water and slamming into the ship, flattening certain crew members while tossing aside others. Those who avoided the attacks began attacking the tentacle with weapons and jutsu, trying to dislodge the attacking appendage with little success. The tentacle began constricting around the ship and squeezed tightly, the wooden hull groaning in protest. After a few minutes, the tentacle snapped through the ship, splitting it in half, and causing it to sink, the crew falling into the sea. Suddenly what appeared to be a massive fish popped it's head out of the water and swallowed the helpless crew before diving back underwater.

The Demon couldn't believe what he just saw.

He had heard the legends, of course, but he had always thought they were just stories sailors told their children as cautionary tales.

But he had just seen it; the sinker of ships, the bane of sailors, the harbinger of death.

The Leviathan.

Suddenly, the Demon heard more screams, this time coming from multiple directions. He looked up and, to his horror, saw four more tentacles, each wrapped around a different ship.

There was more than one Leviathan!

He then looked back at the approaching barges and saw that they were almost upon them.

Shaking himself out of his stupor the Demon shouted, "They are coming men! Prepare for close combat!" he ordered before unsheathing his blade.

'Legends or not, these monsters will not defeat me and they will not take my ship' he mentally vowed to himself.

At this time, the barges closed in and began to speed between the ships, the smaller craft easily able to outmaneuver the enemy fleet. The shinobi on each ship began hurling weapons and jutsu at their monstrous foes. Some hit their mark, but most missed, the barges being too fast.

The creatures began firing their strange weapons at the crews of each ship, taking down those who were foolish enough to stand too close to the sides.

The Demon was about to issue further orders when he heard a metallic _Clang! _noise.

Turning towards the sound, he saw a grapple hooked onto the side of the ship.

Several more clangsfollowed. He looked and saw this happening on some of the other ships as well.

He knew what was happening.

"We're being boarded men, repel the invaders!" he shouted to his crew.

Soon after saying this, the first boarding party came aboard, firing their weapons.

The Demon formed hand signs and shouted, "Water Release: Gunshot!"

After he said this, three balls of water shot out of his mouth and towards the invaders. Each ball of water slammed into one of the creatures, the force sending them flying back and shattering bones, killing them.

The Demon then turned towards another boarding party and ran towards them. The creatures aimed their weapons at him, but he was already upon them. He slashed at first, slitting it's throat, causing it to fall to the floor, choking on its own blood. The then twisted around the first and impaled the second creature through its chest. The Demon briefly noted the resistance of the creature's skin before yanking out his blade and beheading a third creature (which took quite a bit of effort).

Unfortunately, the rest of the crew was not faring as well as their captain. The advanced weapons, strength, savageness, and sheer numbers of their foes proved too much for most of them and were killed within minutes.

The Demon was faring very well, however, and his skill could have inspired his crew.

_Could_ have.

The chance was never given.

As the Demon hacked and slashed at the invaders, he failed to notice another creature climbing aboard behind him.

This creature was far larger than the others, standing at a little over 9ft tall with a permanent snarl etched onto his face. His build was greater than the others creatures and he wore bulky, intimidating armor, more so than the others. He added to his terrifying appearance by holding a serrated blade in one hand. This weapon was considered to be a sword by most, but the wielder's size made it seem more like a dagger.

The giant looked around, watching his warriors slaughtering the human soldiers ("shen-oh-bee", he believed they were called) with ease before turning to see their leader killing several Drones. The giant growled and looked to the boarding party next to him. He pointed to them and then towards the human soldiers before pointing to himself and then towards the leader.

The Drones understood, they would handle the lesser ones while their general would handle the leader.

The giant then began making his way towards his target.

The Demon had just killed another Drone when he felt a presence behind him. He turned and was only able to get a glimpse before the giant he was facing delivered a powerful punch to the jaw causing him to drop his katana.

The punch felt like it was going to tear his jaw clear off his head!

Before the Demon could recover, he felt a powerful hand grab him by his throat and lift him into the air.

He stared into the eyes of the monster before him…before it drove its blade straight through his chest.

The Demon gasped out in pain and looked at his killer's snarling face with a look of shock.

The monster stared back…before throwing him over the side.

The Demon hit the water and began to sink. He looked around and saw sinking ships and corpses all around him, most of them human.

'I...I am…defeated? I…I failed?' he asked himself in disbelief, 'Im…possible.'

As he sank downwards, a Leviathan came out from the abyss below him.

The beast opened its mouth…and swallowed him whole as it swam by.

The infamous Demon of The Seas was no more.

**Back aboard the **_**Purity**_**:**

The giant looked down at the place where he had thrown the deceased enemy commander for a moment before looking out across the battlefield.

The enemy fleet his in disarray; the sounds of gunfire and the dying screams of their foes echoed through the fog in a chaotic harmony.

The battle was coming to a close.

The giant looked upon the battle in silence.

About fifteen minutes later, one of the drones approached him and bowed.

"_**We are victorious, general**_" the drone told him in their native language of growls, grunts, and snarls.

The giant didn't bother to even look at his subordinate.

"_**Secure the captured enemy vessels and throw the bodies overboard**_" the general commanded in the same language before turning and heading towards the captains quarters.

The drone did not bother to ask where his general was going; he already knew.

The general was going to contact the King.

Moving to relay the general's orders, the drone would also tell the others not to disturb their commanding officer.

There were exceedingly few things his kind were afraid of…but General RAAM was one of them.

**Captains Quarters:**

Closing the door behind him, RAAM took a moment to look around the room before kneeling.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath (which he rarely ever did)…and called out for his king.

Not physically, but mentally.

RAAM knew that, wherever he was, no matter how far away, if he called, his master would hear him.

He was right.

In a burst of dark energy, a projection of the King appeared before him, still on his throne.

"**My liege**" the monstrous general greeted (in English) in a humble tone.

"General RAAM" the king answered before continuing, "I take it you succeeded in your mission?"

RAAM nodded, "**Yes, your majesty**" he answered, "**We engaged the enemy fleet and boarded them. We captured eighteen of the enemy warships, including their flagship; the Leviathans sunk the rest**" he told his master.

The king grinned, "Excellent my general, I take it the enemy was no match for your forces?"

"**They were not, my lord**" RAAM confirmed, "**We cut through them like a Butcher's Cleaver cuts through a Rockworm's hide.**"

The king nodded, taking a liking to the metaphor, before continuing, "Good, and I am pleased to hear the tamed Leviathans performed so well on their first outing. What about the enemy commander?"

"**Dead by my hands**" RAAM answered.

"**As I expected**" the king said knowing the general was likely to do that himself, "**You have done well general**" the king complimented.

"**I live to serve you, your highness.**"

The king grinned even more, "I'm glad to hear that, because I have new orders for you."

"**I am yours to command, master**" RAAM replied, eager to spill more blood.

"I want you to take your new fleet to Kirigakure and lay siege."

RAAM became more enamored with these words, "**Conquer the main stronghold of one of our enemies?**" he asked, eager at the prospect.

The king nodded, "The time has come to begin the master plan and Kiri's fall will set the stage for the death of our enemies" he explained before continuing, "Take the fleet and position it just outside of Kiri's port. Once that is done, begin shelling the village. I have another force in position to attack once you give the order. When they emerge, send the forces not commandeering the ships to take the barges to the shore and assist the main invasion force. They have orders to kill everyone who fights back and round up the rest. Tell the drones you have with you to do the same once they reach the shore."

RAAM nodded, attack from two different sides would create a net that would surround their enemies in a pincer move, leaving little room for escape.

"**I will gather my warriors and prepare to set sail**" RAAM said and was about to stand when he was interrupted.

"Not so fast general" the king told RAAM, "I have a second task for you to complete, one of equal importance" he informed the monstrous general.

"**Anything, my lord**" RAAM answered.

The king waved his hand and another figure projection appeared next to him.

The projection was of a short and child-like human male with messy hair, pupiless eyes, and had what appeared to be a stitch-like scar running from under his left eye that went down to his jawline. He wore a sleeveless shirt with Kiri's symbol attached to the front, short-sleeved mesh armor over which he also wore a poncho along with a sash around his waist, paired with an apron over his pants. On his back he carried a long staff-like pole weapon that was almost twice his size with a large hook on the top of one side, while the top part of the other side appeared to have a sharpened edge, like a cleaver. The staff also had a large flower at the top. Projections were always a dark color, so it was impossible to tell what color his clothes, hair, and eyes were. The projection itself was unmoving, like a statue. The "person" was just an image of what his king wanted to show him.

RAAM stared at this strange human for a moment before looking back to his king.

"**A child?**" he asked, dumbfounded.

"Do not be fooled by his appearance, general, he is a fully grown adult" the king informed RAAM before continuing, "His name is Yagura and he is the Yondaime Mizukage, that is to say, the leader of Kirigakure. I have a personal interest in seeing this monster dead. Once the invasion begins, you will find him and you will kill him."

RAAM was surprised, this childish human was the leader of the humans he had just slaughtered?

The king knew what RAAM was thinking, "I know he doesn't look like much, but he is the villages strongest warrior and is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people within his own country, people he killed because they were different, people he called _impure_" the king informed his general, who noticed the amount spite he put into that last word. The king trembled slightly in anger before calming himself before continuing, "Be warned, though, he contains something…_special_ within him."

RAAM's tensed slightly. He knew what that meant, but how could this creature contain such power within him?

It didn't matter though; RAAM had trained in how to bring down beings like him.

The king continued, "He is likely located in his tower, the tallest structure in the village. Once he is dead, present to me his head and his staff as proof of the deed. Am I understood?" he asked.

RAAM nodded, "**It will be done, my king**" he vowed.

The king grinned once again, "Good. Now go forth, General RAAM. Go forth and show our enemies the true might of the Horde!" he ordered proudly before both projections vanished.

RAAM stood up and walked out onto the deck.

He had much to do.

**End Chapter**

**Sorry, I actually intended to add the attack on Kiri in this chapter as well, but this seemed like a good stopping point. Plus I like to make you guys sweat a little!**

**Anyway, read and review because, next chapter:**

**The Horde vs. Water Country and Kage vs. General; Yagura vs. RAAM!**

**Also, the **_**Purity **_**was modeled after the **_**HMS Victory, **_**a real live ship and a famous one at that! The size and number of guns and sails are the same (except for the two triple barreled rotating cannons at the front; it was my idea to add that).**


End file.
